Category: Health

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Health

Nutrition: Paleo vs. Keto Diets

What is the Keto diet?

The Ketogenic diet is a very low-carb, high-fat diet. It involves drastically reducing carbs and replacing them with fat. This puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis–basically when your body burns fat because it doesn’t have enough glucose to use for energy. Over time, your body gets more efficient at burning fat for energy and turning fat into ketones (a byproduct of fat breakdown) in the liver, which can supply energy for the brain. This can lead to significant weight loss. However, ketosis can be dangerous if ketone levels become too high. For people with uncontrolled diabetes, ketosis is a sign of too much glucose and not enough insulin in the blood. (The body can’t use glucose without proper amounts of insulin; insulin is necessary  to get glucose out of the bloodstream and into the cells where it can be used for energy.)

What is the Paleo diet?

Sometimes referred to as the “ancestral diet,” the Paleo diet is believed to align with the foods eaten by early humans, with an emphasis on whole foods, including organic vegetables and fruits, grass-fed and naturally-raised meats, wild-caught fish, eggs, nuts and seeds. In addition to avoiding all processed foods and sugar, it also omits all grains, dairy products, beans and legumes (including peanuts). Proponents of the Paleo diet believe that because these foods were introduced to the human diet much later in our history, the human digestive system is not well-equipped to break down these foods, contributing to digestion issues, food allergies and sensitivities and inflammation. 

How do they compare?
  • Both diets focus on high-quality, nutrient-rich foods and eliminate grains, legumes and dairy.
  • Typically, a Keto diet is higher in fat than Paleo.
  • Paleo is usually higher in carbs than the Keto.
  • While the Paleo diet incorporates fruit and starchy vegetables, the Keto diet doesn’t because they’re too high in carbs. (A true keto diet is 50 grams or less of carbs a day.)
  • Paleo is superior for overall digestive health and athletic performance. It is also a more sustainable diet plan than Keto.
  • The Keto is better short-term diet for aesthetics and weight loss, as well as diabetes prevention and controlling other diseases, including epilepsy.
  • The Keto is best monitored by a trusted practitioner. To do it in a healthy way, you need to count all calories and macros, and many people include non-whole foods to reach these strict macronutrient goals. A standard keto diet is 60-75% of calories from fat, 15-30% from protein and 5-10% from carbs.
  • Paleo doesn’t advocate a strict macronutrient breakdown (exact number of carbs, protein and fat you should eat).
  • A less strict low-carb diet model could be 150 or 100 grams or less, which allows for more fruits and some starchy veggies. (Paleo usually stays within this range.)
What are some benefits to trying one or both diets?

Keto:

  • This diet can be an effective way to lose weight.
  • Because it’s so low-carb, it can lead to significant reductions in blood sugar and insulin levels.
  • Some research suggests that the Keto diet might help lower the risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
  • Because it omits sugar in all forms (even fruit, in most cases), as well as almost completely eliminates carbs, it can help curb sugar cravings.
  • Due to the high fat content, it may be easier to follow than other diets. (e.g. Fat is very satiating.)
  • It doesn’t involve counting calories or limiting portion sizes, so it can be easier to follow than calorie-restricted “deprivation-style” diets (which are rarely effective anyway, since extreme calorie restriction can slow metabolism and encourage the body to hold on to fat stores; they’re also not sustainable long-term, often causing the dieter to gain back any weight they initially lost). 

Paleo:

  • Switching to whole foods means the body will get more of the nutrients it needs to thrive. This usually translates to improvements in weight, blood sugar, mood, energy level, sleep, digestion and cognitive abilities (e.g. memory, focus, concentration, etc.) as well as reduced risk of many chronic illnesses.
  •  Because this diet excludes gluten and dairy, people who try it may discover they are allergic or sensitive to these foods (or may find that they feel better without them in their diet) and that eliminating them has a positive impact on their overall health, aside from weight loss alone.
  • It can be potentially costly, as it involves buying all organic produce, 100% grass-fed meat and wild-caught fish, which may not be readily available to everyone.
Categories
Food Health

Health: Dr. Gundry’s “Yes” foods

YES Foods List

Flours: coconut, almond, hazelnut, sesame, chestnut, cassava (tapioca), green, banana, sweet potato, tiger nut, grape seed, arrowroot

“Foodles” (Gundry name for acceptable noodles), Cappelo’s fettuccine and other pastas, Slim Pasta, shirataki noodles, kelp noodles, Miracle noodles and kanten pasta, Korean sweet potato noodles

Dairy Products: (1 oz. cheese or 4 oz. yogurt / day), Real parmesan (parmigiano-reggiano), French/Italian butter, buffalo butter (at Trader Joe’s), Ghee, goat yogurt (plain), goat milk as creamer, goat cheese, butter, goat and sheep kefir, sheep cheese and yogurt (plain), coconut yogurt, French/Italian cheese, Switzerland cheese, buffalo mozzarella (Italy), whey protein powder, Casein A-2 milk (as creamer only),
organic heavy cream, organic sour cream, organic cream cheese.

Ice Cream: coconut milk dairy-free frozen dessert (the So Delicious blue label which only contains 1 gram of sugar per oz.).

Wine: (6 oz. per day) red
Spirits (1 oz per day)

Fish: (any wild caught – 4oz. per day): whitefish, freshwater bass, Alaskan halibut, canned tuna, Alaskan salmon, Hawaiian fish, shrimp, crab, lobster, scallops, calamari/squid, clams, oysters, mussels, sardines,
anchovies

Fruits: (limit all but avocado) avocados, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, cherries, crispy pears (anjou, bosc, comicel),
pomegranates, kiwis, apples, citrus (no juices), nectarines, peaches, plums, apricots, figs, dates

Vegetables: Calciferous Vegetables, Broccoli, Brussel sprouts, Cauliflower, Bok Choy, Napa Cabbage, Chinese Cabbage, Swiss Chard, Arugula, Watercress, Collards, Kohlrabi, Kale, Green and red cabbage, Radicchio, Raw Sauerkraut, Kimchi

Other Vegetables: Nopales Cactus, Celery, Onions, Leeks, chives, scallions, chicory, carrots (raw), carrot greens, artichokes, beets (raw), radishes, Daikon radish, Jerusalem artichokes/sunchokes, hearts of palm, cilantro, okra, asparagus, garlic, mushrooms

Nuts and Seeds (1/2 cup per day): Macadamia nuts, Walnuts, Pistachios, Pecans, Coconut, Coconut milk/cream (unsweetened, full-fat), Hazelnuts, Chestnuts, Brazil nuts (in limited amounts), Pine nuts (in limited amounts), Flaxseeds, hemp seeds, Hemp protein powder, Psyllium

Olives: All

Dark Chocolate: 72% or greater ( 1 oz per day )

Vinegars: All (without added sugars)

Herbs and Seasonings: All except chili pepper flakes

Miso

Energy Bars: Quest Bars, B-Up Bars, Human Food bar, Adapt Bar

Sweeteners: Stevia (sweetleaf is favorite), Just Like Sugar (made from chicory root – inulin), Inulin, Yacon, Monk Fruit, Luo Han Guo (the Nutresse brand is good), erythritol (Swerve is great as it contains oligosaccharides), Xylitol

Resistant Starches: Tortillas (Siete brand- only those made with cassava and coconut flour or almond flour), Bread and Bagels made by Barely Bread, Julian Bakery Paleo Wraps (made with coconut flour) and Paleo coconut flakes cereal (in moderation), Green plantains, Green bananas, Baobab fruit, Cassava (tapioca), Green Bananas, Sweet Potatoes or Yams, Rutabaga, Parsnips, Yuca, celery root (celeriac), Glucomannan (konjac root), Persimmon, Jicama, Taro root, Turnips, Tiger nuts, Green Mango, Millet, Sorghum, Green papaya

Leafy Greens: Romaine, Red and Green leaf lettuce, Mesclun (baby greens), Spinach, endive, Dandelion Greens, Butter Lettuce, Fennel, Escarole, Mustard Greens, Mizuna, parsley, Basil, Mint, Purslane, parilla, Algae, Seaweed, Sea Vegetables

Pastured Poultry (Not free-range – 4 oz. per day): Chicken, Turkey, Ostrich, pastured or omega-3 eggs (up to 4 daily), Duck, Goose, pheasant, Grouse, dove, Quail

Meat: (grass fed and grass finished – 4oz per day): bison, wild game, venison, Boar, elk, Beef, Pork (humanely raised), Lamb, Prosciuto

Plant-based “Meats”: Quorn, Hemp tofu, Hilary’s Root Veggie burger (hilaryseatwell.com), Tempeh (grain-free only)

Categories
Food Health

Health: Dr. Gundry – “No” foods

Gundry’s “NO” FOODS

Refined, Starchy Foods: Pasta, Rice, Potatoes, Potato Chips, Milk, Bread, Tortillas, Pastry, Flour, Crackers, Cookies, Cereal, Sugar, Agave

Sweeteners: Sweet One or Sunett (Acesulfame K), Splenda (Sucralose), Nutrasweet (Aspartame), Diet Drinks, Maltodextrin

Vegetables: Peas, Sugar Snap Peas, Green Beans, Chickpeas (including as hummus), Soy, Tofu, Edamame, Soy Protein, Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), Pea Protein

All beans, including sprouts, Legumes, all Lentils*
* Vegans and Vegetarians can have these legumes in Phase 2, but only if prepared in a pressure cooker

Nuts and Seeds: Almonds (unless blanched), Pumpkin seed, Sunflower seed, Chia seeds, Peanuts, Cashews – mycotoxins.

Fruits: Cucumbers, Zucchini, Pumpkins, Squashes (any kind), Melons (any kind)

Nightshades: Potatoes, Eggplant, Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Chili Peppers
Goji Berries

Non-Southern European Cow’s Milk Products:
(These contain casein A-1) Yogurt including Greek yogurt, Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt, Cheese, Ricotta, Cottage Cheese

Grains, KefirGrains, Sprouted Grains, Pseudo-Grains, and Grasses:
Wheat (pressure cooking does not help with wheat), Einkorn wheat, Kamut, Oats & Oatmeal (cannot pressure cook), Quinoa, Rye (cannot pressure cook), Bulgur, White Rice, Brown Rice, Wild Rice, Barley (cannot pressure cook), Buckwheat, Kashi, Spelt, Corn, Corn products, Cornstarch, Corn syrup, popcorn, Wheatgrass, Barley grass

Oils: Soy, Grape Seed, Corn, Peanut, Cottonseed, Safflower, Sunflower,
“Partially Hydrogenated” Vegetable, Canola

Categories
Health

Health: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) with Xiser

Besides sprinting, running, rope jumping, biking, there is the Xiser   mini-stepper.

JJ Virgin on Xiser Stepper

 

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Food Health

Health: Novak Djokovic diet

What does it take to become the number one tennis player in the world?

A lot of practice. Nerves of steel. And, if you’re Novak Djokovic, a strict gluten-free, dairy-free diet that he says has played a major role in helping him attain the number one ranking.

Grand Slam Secret #1

Start Drinking in the Morning

Most of us have morning rituals, but mine is probably stricter than most.

The first thing I do out of bed is to drink a tall glass of room-temperature water. I’ve just gone eight hours without drinking anything, and my body needs hydration to start functioning at its peak. Water is a critical part of the body’s repair process. But I avoid ice water, for a reason. When you drink ice water, the body needs to send additional blood to the digestive system in order to heat the water to 98.6 degrees. There’s some benefit to this process—heating the cold water burns a few additional calories. But it also slows digestion and diverts blood away from where I want it—in my muscles.

Grand Slam Secret #2

Eat Some Honey

The second thing I do might really surprise you: I eat two spoonfuls of honey. Every day. I try to get manuka honey, which comes from New Zealand. It is a dark honey made by bees that feed on the manuka tree (or tea tree), and has been shown to have even greater antibacterial properties than regular honey.

I know what you’re thinking: Honey is sugar. Well, yes, it is. But your body needs sugar. In particular, it needs fructose, the sugar found in fruits, some vegetables, and especially honey. What it doesn’t need is processed sucrose, the stuff in chocolate, soda, or most energy drinks that gives you an instant sugar shot in the body, where you feel like “Wow!”

I don’t like “wow.” “Wow” is no good. If you have “wow” now, that means in thirty minutes you’re going to have “woe.”

Grand Slam Secret #3

Eat a “Power Bowl” for Breakfast

After a little stretching or some light calisthenics, I’m ready for breakfast. Most days I have what I call the Power Bowl, a normal-sized bowl I fill with a mixture of:

Gluten-free muesli or oatmeal

A handful of mixed nuts—almonds, walnuts, peanuts

Some sunflower or pumpkin seeds

Fruits on the side, or sliced up in the bowl, like banana and all kinds of berries

A small scoop of coconut oil (I like it for the electrolytes and minerals)

Rice milk, almond milk or coconut water

Grand Slam Secret #4

Have Breakfast #2 on Standby

One bowl of these ingredients is generally enough for me. If I think that I will need something more—I rarely do—then I wait about twenty minutes and have a little gluten-free toasted bread, tuna fish, and some avocado. I love avocado; it’s one of my favorites.

Grand Slam Secret #5

Pack Your Lunch with Carbs

For me, a typical lunch is gluten-free pasta with vegetables. The pasta is made from quinoa or buckwheat. As for the vegetables, the selection is vast. Arugula, roasted peppers, fresh tomatoes, sometimes cucumber, a lot of broccoli, a lot of cauliflower, green beans, carrots. I combine the vegetables with the pasta and some olive oil and a bit of salt. (I should say that on match days when I know I’ll have to practice around noon and play a match around three, I have a heavy protein with my lunch, as a foundation for the match. But in general, pasta is all I need.)

Eat This, Not That! tip: Like Djokovic, pair your carbs with high-protein foods.

Grand Slam Secret #6

Drink It In When You’re Working Out

During practice, I go through two bottles of an energy drink containing fructose extract. It’s not too heavy in the stomach, but allows me to replenish. The ingredients I look for in a drink are electrolytes, magnesium, calcium, zinc, selenium, and vitamin C. The magnesium and calcium help with heart and muscle function and prevent cramps. If it’s a humid day, I also have a hydration drink with electrolytes because I lose a lot of liquids.

After practice, I have an organic protein shake made from water mixed with rice or pea protein concentrate and some evaporated cane juice. I don’t drink whey or soy shakes. I find that, for me, this is the fastest way to replenish.

Grand Slam Secret #7

Snack Between Sets

Before a match, when I really want to fire up, I usually eat a power gel with twenty-five milligrams of caffeine. During the match, I eat dried fruits like dates. I have one or two teaspoons of honey. I always stick with sugars derived from fructose. Besides these examples, the vast majority of the sugar I consume comes from the training drinks I mentioned.

Grand Slam Secret #8

Have a Meaty Dinner

Later, when it’s time for dinner, I eat protein in the form of meat or fish. That usually means steak, chicken, or salmon, as long as it’s organic, grass-fed, free-range, wild, etc. I order meats roasted or grilled, and fish steamed or poached if possible. The closer a food is to nature, the more nutritious it is. I pair it with a steamed vegetable like zucchini or carrots. I may also have some chickpeas or lentils, or occasionally soup.

Categories
Health

Health: The Perfect Human Diet – documentary

See the Documentary on Diet Doctor

Director (CJ Hunt)’s website

Categories
Health Recipes

Recipe: Instant Pot Pork rib soup

Ingredients:

  • 1.5 lbs (3-4 pieces) of pork back ribs (e.g. Zupan’s)
  • 1-2 Korean daikon
  • 1 carrot
  • 2-3 cloves garlic
  • 4 slices of ginger
  • 1 pack Taiwan seasoning

Directions:

  • Slice rib pieces into individual bones
  • Put ribs into a pot, fill with water, and boil vigorously for 10 minutes to get scum and fat out.  Drain, and rinse with water
  • Cut up daikon and carrot.  Remove skin from garlic cloves.
  • Put veggies, pork bones, and seasoning into “Instant Pot” Pressure Cooker.  Press button for meat/stew (35 minutes)
  • Done
Categories
Health

Health: Intermittent Fasting

Fasting to treat obesity and metabolic disorders (e.g. diabetes)

Leangains Guide

Bulletproof Intermittent Fasting

Dr. Mercola interviews Dr. Mosely

Dr. Jason Fung — Reverse Type 2 diabetes

Dr. Jason Fung – Intermittent fasting

Categories
Health

Health: Weight loss diet

And here’s the obesity diet published in the 1951 textbook The Practice of Endocrinology, coedited by seven prominent British physicians led by Raymond Greene, probably the most influential twentieth-century British endocrinologist:

Foods to be avoided:
1. Bread, and everything else made with flour …
2. Cereals, including breakfast cereals and milk puddings
3. Potatoes and all other white root vegetables
4. Foods containing much sugar
5. All sweets …

You can eat as much as you like of the following foods:
1. Meat, fish, birds
2. All green vegetables
3. Eggs
4. Cheese
5. Fruit, except bananas and grapes

From Why We Get Fat, 2011, by Gary Taubes

Categories
Health Travel

Portland Hiking Trails

What all of these hikes have in common is geography; each one can be found within Portland city limits (plus Sauvie Island). Let this be both a guide and a reminder: You don’t have to take a road trip to find good hiking around Portland.

Easy hikes

Hoyt Arboretum Loop (4.7 miles, Northwest Portland): A scenic loop hike through the northern portion of Washington Park, centered around the Hoyt Arboretum.

Kelley Point Park (1.7 miles, North Portland): Easy walk along beach and paved trails at the point where the Willamette and Columbia Rivers converge.

Mount Tabor Green Trail (1.7 miles, Southeast Portland): A walk around the perimeter of Mount Tabor Park, on both paved roads and dirt trails.

Oak Island (2.8 miles, Sauvie Island): Seasonal hike through the Sauvie Island Wildlife Area, open from mid-April through September.

Oaks Bottom (2.3 miles, Southeast Portland): Loop hike around the Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge — a wetland, meadow and forest complex that is home to a great diversity of birds.

Smith and Bybee Lakes (2.1 miles, North Portland): A paved trail through the Smith and Bybee Lakes Wetlands Natural Area, home of painted turtles, eagles, herons and more.

Tryon Creek Inner Loop (1.9 miles, Southwest Portland): Easy walk along the inner trails of Tryon Creek State Park, an urban forest with several small bridges and muddy trails.

Wapato Greenway (2.2 miles, Sauvie Island): An easy stroll along the Wapato Greenway on Sauvie Island, where waterfowl and beaver sightings are common.

Washington Park Loop (3.9 miles, Southwest Portland): A hike through Washington Park, on dirt trails and sidewalks past some of Portland’s best attractions.

Woods Park Loop (2.1 miles, Southwest Portland): Trails through a 36-acre pocket of native forest in the heavily wooded Woods Memorial Natural Area.

Moderate hikes

Council Crest (3.3 miles, Southwest Portland): Most people drive up to the scenic point with spectacular mountain views, but a hike from Marquam Nature Park is worth the effort.

Maple Trail (8.2 miles, Northwest Portland): One of the best hikes in Forest Park, the Maple Trail is a lovely showcase of the park’s many bigleaf maple trees.

Marquam Nature Park Loop (3.8 miles, Northwest Portland): A loop around Marquam Nature Park, a tranquil pocket of nature saved by neighbors in the 1960s.

Mount Tabor Blue Trail (3.3 miles, Southeast Portland): A perfect tour of Mount Tabor, on dirt and paved trails that lead past all three reservoirs and to the summit of the extinct volcano.

Newton Road to Newberry Road (9.4 miles, Northwest Portland): Lengthy hike through the northernmost portion of Forest Park, along the Wildwood Trail and past the Hole in the Park.

Pittock Mansion Hike (5 miles, Northwest Portland): Storybook stroll through Macleay Park and a hike up the Wildwood Trail to the historic Pittock Mansion with scenic views of Portland.

Powell Butte Loop (4.3 miles, Southeast Portland): Hike around the perimeter of Powell Butte Nature Park, through forest and along the high grasslands of the extinct volcano.

Tryon Creek Outer Loop (5.7 miles, Southwest Portland): Loop around Tryon Creek State Park, a sprawling urban forest with trails for hikers, equestrians and cyclists.

Tolinda-Ridge Trail (5.9 miles, Northwest Portland): A hike from the Tolinda Trailhead to the Ridge Trailhead in Forest Park, with a nice view of the St. Johns Bridge.

Warrior Point (7 miles, Sauvie Island): A long, flat hike to the Warrior Rock Lighthouse up to the northernmost Warrior Point of Sauvie Island.

Park-by-park

Forest Park: At nearly 5,200 acres, Forest Park is easily Portland’s largest, containing the famed 30-mile Wildwood Trail among others. No one hike does the park justice, so get to a trail-head and explore.

Marquam Nature Park: The tranquil pocket of forest that is Marquam Nature Park offers no spectacular views (though it does connect to the Council Crest Hike), offering a peaceful wooded walk instead.

Mount Tabor: Portland’s most popular extinct volcano, Mount Tabor Park is 190 acres of paved and dirt trails, popular among locals and tourists alike for its spectacular views, grassy meadows, playgrounds and annual PDX Adult Soap Box Derby.

Powell Butte: Another of Portland’s extinct volcanoes, Powell Butte Nature Park contains some 612 acres of forested trails and high grasslands, with stunning views of all five visible mountains of the Cascade Range.

Sauvie Island: Known best for its pumpkin patches and beaches, Sauvi e Island is also home to several good hiking spots through wildlife areas along inner-island lakes and the rolling Columbia River.

Tryon Creek: The 658-acre Tryon Creek S tate Park is a sprawling urban forest in Portland, offering 8 miles of hiking trails, 3.5 miles o f horse trails and a 3-mile paved c ycling trail — all perfect for families and local hikers.

Washington Park: The impressive Washington Park complex boasts more to do than any other park in Portland, containing the International Rose Test Garden, Ja panese Garden, Oregon Zoo, Hoyt Arboretum, World Forestry Center and Portland Children’s Museum — not to mention paved and dirt trails throughout.

Learn more

Find longer stories and more information about these hikes by visiting the story online (bit.ly/24TXW0o) and clicking on the hike links.

• jhale@oregonian.com